David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ as a children’s book that might have been

David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” already sounds like a lullaby for children of the monolith. In the hands of illustrator Andrew Kolb, it also makes one hell of a children’s book. Or at least it could have.

Kolb turned “Oddity’s” lyrics into kiddie picture pages and gave away the virtual “book” as a free PDF. Then he got an email regarding the rights of the song and promptly removed the download from his site to avoid “a bummer of a time paying legal fees.” Bummer, alright. Kolb’s “Oddity” perfectly captures that pop cosmological lament with retro cartoon artistry, a whimsical mix of 2001: A Space Odyssey by way of Dexter’s Laboratory. Yeah, it really makes the grade.

You can still read the entire “book” at ComicsAlliance. And Kolb says on his site to check back for updates in case Ziggy changes his tune. Till then, planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing we can do.